The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-29
wOMEN'S NOTIONS.
Tho New Idea OF tine Social Men
agerie.

it has long been that of every Partisan
dame, to have salon.
To catch a desirable assortment of lions,
80 pare their claws, to induce them to roar
gently as any sucking dove to knot colored
ribbons in their taWny names ard to lead
them about like the Sawdust procession at
Barnum's on more delicate and roses-cented
scale; this is the new ideal, and social men
ageries MULTIPLY
The salon proper, that is the political
SALON. does not exist i'll New York Partly
from the nature of New York politics, and
partly because the woman who could hold
one has not yet appeared. Iii spite of the
new interest of women in practical matters,
even in politics, the woman at whose house
statesmen-suppoSing statesmen abundant
i'll New York-could rendezvous discuss all
sides of a question fairly and without heat,
feel as in the old French days that there
was an open Parliament with charmingly
intelligent Speaker. whose smiles were suffi-
Gent guerdon for their oratory: a woman
at whose house politicians could be encour-
aged to defend their convictions-or abandon
them, has not yet been evolved.
The New YORK salons are literary, musical,
artistic or all three mixed. Politics is almost
an unknown subject in them.
None of them as yet is very extensive
though several are growing A New York
salon commonly takes the form of ''Sun-
day evening"" and a woman to have an at
tractive gathering every week must be an
agreeable hostess, have plenty of tact, be
above jealousy, and have more than an
average share of brains.
THE GATHERINGS THAT COME NEAREST
10 deserving the ambitious term of salon
are not the result of lion-hunting. They
have grown of their own accord almost
without knowledge of the woman who is
ara rNtI1 N M
speak, and the pleasantest meeting places
of the city Miss Mary l.. Booth editor of
Hdrper's Bazaar, has a salon of this kind
where one sees the people best worth know
ing in the city. Kate Sanborn, who has a
pretty suite of rooms at the Windsor, is so
witty and vivacious that witty and viva
cous people gather to her by instinct. Nine.
Demorest's receptions are rather more of
dress occasions, but are frequented by people
who can write and people who speak and
people who can appreciate other folks who
do these things. Mrs. Martha J. Lamb, of
the Magazine of American History, is a
delightful hostess, as people who are FORUM
ate enough to be her guest know. Mrs
Croly. Jennie June" and her daughter
Vida have pleasant, lat homes" where
pleasant people go. Mrs. Laura G.. Holloway
lives in Brooklyn and her Sunday evenings
touch wider circle of human interest than
such gatherings often do. Mrs. Lille Dever-
eux Blake, the woman suffrage writer and
speaker, is at home to people with ideas, not
all Of them, by any means, of the more
radical sort. Mrs. Frank Leslie's evenings
are cosmopolitan, and include about as
many varieties of people, of the more inter
esting sorts, as there are in the world. Ella
Wheeler Wilcox has not emit rtained in New
York much as yet, but her evenings are
expected to be informal and on a more or
less original plan.
The salon, as said, is becoming popular,
and great many women try to hold an
imitation of one who can't. This leads to
the multiplication of mutual admiration
societies, which of all stupid ways of enter
tanning are about the most insufferable. 1t
is for the better success of the cotton and
wool salons of this sort that a new code of
etiquette for the government Of lions ought
to be formulated The lion masculine has
an inconvenient way at inopportune
moments Of sulking and refusing to roar, in
striking contrast to the behavior of the lion
feminine, who on an average is more amiable
and ready to go through her programme of
tricks.
THE NEW YORK ASSOCIATION
of Collegiate AlumnB held the first of its
winter meetings III the library at Columbia
College last Saturday afternoon. Collect
lively the representatives of the higher edu-
cation made a nice looking set Of girls.
lQGF0 were Ofl6 QuHuTeQ iDOT6 VI UU6IIl,
all III demi-dress, with dainty little bonnetS
and pretty gloves They were well groomed,
as horsey New York likes to put it, fresh
and wholesome looking, and very simply
and quietly gowned. Not one in two dozen
wore any iewelry, and there weren't cosrnet-
les enough in the crowd to bring blush to
the cheek of plaster OF paris angel.
The results of calisthenic training were
evident in the superb carriage of the head,
tho oro0f oraao of tho fio11ra and the casa
with which. every girl walked. They had
mastered the art of locomotion. There
wasn't a suspicion of a swing or sidelong
mince to them, and whether gloved or I'M
gloved they knew just what to do with their
hands. They were a fine set of women
physically, and if girls who don't go to
school looked half as healthy there would
be splendid next generation.
There wasn't hint of slang and by the
shades of tutti frutti, they wouldn't have
known what to 10 with gum.
They talked about philanthropy, social
ism and anarchy, and there seemed to be a
good deal Of sound political and social econ
omy slowed away in their heads. A number
of thoughtful women who are not "gradu-
ates" meet with them as guests very fire.
quently. Miss Grace H. Dodge, the School
Commissioner, Mrs. Josephine Shaw Lowell,
slster-in-law of the poet, a phalanx of women
physicians, and one or two women dentists
being fairly constant attendants.
MRS. YOUNG, OF FALL RIVER,
has given half a million dollars, well, if not
wisely, to build common schoolhouse in
that city. The munificence of the gift, in
comparison with its object, is explained by
the claim that the school, when completed,
will be the finest in the world, and that it
will be provided with a big telescope and
fine gymnasium. All these things are very
good, but it seems to the unprecedented
observer that good enough schoolhouse,
all things considered, might be built for a
small fraction of that money, the remainder
of which might be devoted to more pressing
work. Astronomy is very interesting
study, but one that is hardly likely to be
carried far enough in public school to
need the use of big telescope, while a gym
nasium, though a great necessity, needn't
cost much.
but now much actual suffering there
exists in the mill district, of which Fall
River Is the centre, only those who have
investigated it can know. The Legislature
of Rhode Island was compelled few years
ago to pass a law compelling married women
who habitually work in the shops to stay at
home at least three weeks when a child is
born. Before that the poor mothers had
often been driven by actual want to re-enter
the shop with only few days respite, and
the gravest dangers to public health were
the natural result But the kindly meant